Denny Hamlin weighed in on Connor Zilisch's title chances against Justin Allgaier and ultimately sided with the reigning champion. He admitted that Zilisch is the favorite to win it all but found Allagaier's 'elite' record at Phoenix a tough one to beat.Zilisch clinched the regular season championship at Gateway and tops the playoff standings with 29 points clear of his nearest rival and JR Motorsports teammate, Justin Allgaier.Given that both drivers make it to the final four, Allgaier has more experience at Phoenix than Zilisch. In his 30 starts at the track, he has won twice and has finished among the top 10 more often than not.Earlier this year, Allgaier grabbed a P5 finish at Phoenix, while Zilisch came in at 16th. Reflecting upon the same, Hamlin placed his bet on Allgaier to clinch the championship."If he makes it to Phoenix, he'll be the favorite. But against Justin, who's elite there, I'm gonna make a wild prediction. I think the 88 wins ten races and does not win the championship. I don't know it's that wild with this format, but I don't know. I think it's gonna be tough," he said via X/Dirty Mo Media.Connor Zilisch's win at Gateway placed him in elite company. The 19-year-old hit a new record that matched a feat previously held by Darrell Waltrip."Connor Zilisch becomes only the second driver in the #NASCAR modern era (to be credited with a) win four consecutive races from the pole in any series. Only other is Darrell Waltrip, 1981," NASCAR reporter Dalton Hopkins wrote via X.Zilisch heads into the playoff opener at Bristol Motor Speedway with nine wins under his belt. The No. 88 driver missed out on pole in his last outing at the track and ended up finishing outside the top 10.Connor Zilisch on track to surpass Kyle Busch's recordConnor Zilisch is poised to overthrow an Xfinity Series record held by two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. The Las Vegas native has the most wins in an Xfinity season, standing at 13. With seven races left, Zilisch needs four more wins to match Busch's record. However, the young driver revealed how his focus was not on the record."Yeah, I'm not chasing records but I show up to the track every week and want to win. So yeah, I hope I get to 13 but it's not like my season's going to be a disaster if I don't get there. I don't really look at those things," he said via Motorsport.comConnor Zilisch grabbed his first win of the season at the Circuit of The Americas. Zilisch later secured consecutive runner-up finishes before winning again at Pocono Raceway.The 19-year-old has taken the top step ever since Sonoma, with the only exception being Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Notably, he's also credited with a win earned by Parker Kligerman, who subbed in for him at Daytona.